Israel refuses to let sisters of Hamas leader visit Gaza

Israeli authorities said Thursday they denied a request by a top Hamas leader to allow his three sisters living in Israel to travel to the Gaza Strip to attend his son’s wedding, hinting the decision was because some Israelis are still missing in Gaza. The Israeli defense body COGAT said that Ismail Haniyeh’s request was denied because of “Israeli humanitarian cases” in Gaza — apparently a reference to two Israeli citizens who Israel says are being held in Gaza, as well as the remains of Israeli soldiers Hamas is said to have from last summer’s war. The Hamas leader’s sisters live in Israel because they married members of Israel’s Arab minority before the first Palestinian Intifada.